Haunted
by PhantomBrat
Summary: A teenaged boy, a cruel prank, three trapped souls, and an old farm. When Yami Mutou is left at an abandoned farmhouse by his two brothers, he winds up involved with the spirits who are trapped there. Can he set them free? What really happened to them in the first place? Will Yami be the only one who can see them? Read and find out.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm rewriting 'Haunted', but in a completely different way. Yugi, Ryou, and Malik will die in a different way than originally written.**

 **Ryou: Hence the 'T' rating.**

 **I am also doing research for a future story so bear with me as I have no idea how long that will take.**

 **Yugi: May we have a hint as to the new story?**

 **It will be titled 'The Unicorn's Gift' and I'm planning on using three different languages. Two made up (Ancient and Elfish) and English. The two made up are taking some time to research as I want to be as accurate as possible if others were to look them up for later usage.**

 **Malik: Sounds like work.**

 **Between packing/unpacking, research for multiple things, and work, I have little time to write and post. But I'm trying. I will post the first chapter for this story sometime during my Weekly Random Updates.**

* * *

A transparent hand pressed against the equally transparent window. "Come away from there, Yugi," a soft voice gently ordered. "Those people won't enter. Malik will likely scare them off again anyway."

Yugi sighed as he left the clouded window, "I guess you're right, Ryou. I just wish that we could leave the land like we used to do before that day."

Ryou pulled Yugi into a gentle hug, "I know. Come on; let's head to the attic to read a book or something."

The boys were Malik, Ryou, and Yugi Hikari. They were triplets who, so long ago, were the pride of their family and the light of the village. Then tragedy struck, taking their young lives and shattering them to pieces. Their parents took the youngest, Baby Solomon, and moved away shortly after. They never set foot onto the land and refused to sell it to anyone.

Time had passed and yet, for the boys, refused to leave. They stayed the same as their home fell into disrepair and the outside world changed around them.

* * *

Yami leaned against the black car he and his two brothers shared, refusing to budge. "I don't care what you two do, but leave me out of this," he stated. "Besides, Grandpa said that he doesn't want us trespassing on private property. Bakura, Marik, I'm staying right here."

"It's not trespassing if it was never sold," Bakura pointed out. He held up a photocopy of an old deed. "This paper proves that it still belongs to our family. Great-gramps never sold it and Gramps never will."

"Kura's right," Marik stated smugly. "We have a right to be here and while we're at it make some cash from Bradley Snider. All we have to do is snap a few photos and prove that we were here."

Bakura smirked, "have it your way. Mar and I will check out the place and not split the money with you."

"Fine." Yami sat in the car as his brother left to explore the property.

* * *

Yami decided to go for a walk after fifteen minutes of waiting for his brothers and check out the woods for some plants and animals to sketch. Taking note of an old trail, he followed it to a clearing. Yami noticed a trio of angels in the middle of the space. He read the plaque that was at its base:

 _ **Malik, Ryou, and Yugi Hikari**_

 _ **June 4th, 1939- August 19, 1955**_

 _ **May You Rest in Peace, Our Three Little Angels**_

'Who were these three and why did they die at the age of 16,' Yami thought to himself. He decided to check into their identities and what happened that cut their lives short. Yami reached into his pockets and smirked. He had the spare set of keys to their shared car in his pocket. He assumed that he could swipe the car from under his brothers' noses and head back to town without them.

Midway between the field and the house, Yami heard the car tear away from the drive. He was furious! His brothers had ditched him and took off with the car. "My phone was in there," he cried out, realizing that his cell phone was in the pocket of the jacket he had left in the backseat where he always sat when not driving. "I'm going to make them pay."

Yami stomped to the porch of the abandoned farmhouse and sat on the weathered step, fuming at his brothers leaving him behind. After a few deep breaths, Yami calmed down. He figured it was karma for his previous thought of doing to his brothers what they had done to him. Deciding that he had nothing else to do until their grandfather managed to get his location from his psychotic brothers, Yami looked around the outside of the house.

He noticed that with a little work, the farmhouse would be a nice place to escape his brothers and city life. Besides, it was still his family's property. He set to work on pounding raised up nails back down with a fair-sized boulder.

* * *

Why is that boy still here," Yugi asked his elder brothers as he watched the boy on the porch.

Malik glared at the figure's back, "I don't know, Yugi. But he's vandalizing our home. Ryou, keep Yugi inside. I'll not stand for vandals defacing our property."

Ryou held his little brother back as Malik took on his 'Death Form'. Yugi hated their 'Death Forms'. They reminded the smallest boy of how they were killed. They had been home alone when the thieves came.

The Triplets were glad that their parents had taken their baby brother to the hospital with them after their father had broken his leg while repairing the roof. Malik was the first to die after the thieves had shot him in the head and gutted him. Ryou and Yugi followed him into death shortly after. Yugi had tried to run but had tripped and fell down the stairs, breaking his various bones. As his lungs filled with blood his pursuer shot him in the chest, claiming to put the boy out of his misery. Ryou's last scream still echoed in his ears.

Ryou had watched as his closest brother was shot at the foot of the stairs. He screamed as the life left his younger brother's eyes. The thief who had gutted Malik had snuck up on Ryou and pushed him over the banister. The poor boy died instantly from a broken neck after crashing to the ground below.

Ryou held Yugi close to him as Malik floated to the front door, his gaping head wound and insides visible. Ryou heard Yugi whimper in fright as Malik prepared to pound on the left door of the French doors. "Malik, we need to stop. You're scaring Yugi…again."

Malik looked at the quaking form of his little brother and sighed, his 'Death Form' fading into his regular appearance. "This is our home and we need to defend it. You need to grow up Yugi."

Malik said the wrong thing to Yugi. The smaller Triplet shifted to his own 'Death Form' as he glared at the eldest brother. 'Blood' dripped from his mouth and the hole in his chest as he nearly shouted. "You think I want to be stuck like this!? I wanted to grow up since we died! I wanted to grow old and have a family, Malik! I wanted to go to college and travel the world," Yugi cried. "I didn't ask to die! I wanted to watch Baby Solomon grow up and see how he turned out! I wanted to tell Mama and Papa that I loved them more than life itself and to say goodbye to them when they passed away. I wanted to LIVE. I can't help it that I died frightened and hurt! I had just seen you get killed and was scared beyond belief! I had fallen down the front stairs and couldn't breathe! Because of that day, I can never grow up!"

Yugi vanished in a flash of amethyst. Ryou sighed, "Mal, you should know better than to tell Yugi to grow up. He's still stuck in his 'Death emotions'. So are you. Don't argue with me, because I know. You were angry at the thieves for breaking into our home and hitting Yugi in the face with the gun they had. You still hold onto that anger."

"What about you," Malik growled at his brother.

"I am no different," Ryou admitted. "But I do not let that affect how I treat either of you. I died after watching the both of you die so horribly. I had no chance to feel a thing after being pushed over the railing over the family room. I know that I was horrified to see Yugi's broken body at the foot of the stairs and watching as the leader shot him just after you were killed. My end was too fast to have any pain after that. Please be weary of what you say to Yugi from now on."

After a moment of silence, Malik sighed, "Fine. Let's go and find Yugi before he decides to possess some animal again."

* * *

Yugi drifted around the Hikari property in search of some woodland animal to possess for a while. He had to be careful to take over an animal that lived within the boundaries of their family land otherwise the results were awful. He learned that the hard way. He had once taken possession of a wolf and had been forced out of its body when it crossed the property line. Yugi had been knocked out at the edge of their boundaries for two weeks, worrying his older brothers into thinking that he had left them behind to join their family on the other side.

He had been secretly following a fox for some time and watched when it slipped into a hole next to their clearing. Deciding that this animal was a perfect target, Yugi slipped into the sleeping fox's body. He merged with its mind and waited until he was sure that he had full control of the fox before moving. He left the den and began exploring their land. Sensing Ryou and Malik, Yugi pulled himself into the fox's mind and allowed the animal to do what it pleased until they had passed. Once they were gone, Yugi took over once more and crept to the house to watch the boy on the porch.

* * *

Yami had finished pounding the nails back into place and was clearing broken furniture from the porch carefully. A snake emerged from the remains of an old nesting box as he bumped into it. Before he could react, a black fox shot forward and grabbed the snake near its head and bit down, killing the deadly snake instantly.

The fox left as it dragged its kill to an old burn-pit and dropped it. Yami watched as it looked back. He was shocked to see glowing amethyst eyes. "Thank you," he said without thinking.

The fox gave a small nod before vanishing into the woods.

* * *

 **Next week's update will be 'Hunted'**

 **Ryou: Please keep an eye out for chapter 56.**

 **Yugi: I think that this system of updating may actually work out for you, PhantomBrat.**

 **Yeah, I hope so.**


	2. Chapter 2

**As promised, here is the second chapter to 'Haunted'!**

 **Yugi: So why a day late?**

 **Long day and super tired really. I barely even remember yesterday.**

 **Mokuba: So what happens in this chapter?**

 **You'll find out when you read it.**

 **Ryou: Hope everyone enjoys this update!**

* * *

Yami was proud of the progress made on the empty farmhouse. He had cleared off the broken and rotted furniture and had decided to rest against the outside wall of the house. As he took a brief nap, Ryou and Malik had returned home. They noticed that the porch had been cleaned up and the nails were pounded back into place. The pair looked at the napping teen and were shocked to see how much like their brother this boy looked.

"The only real differences are that his bangs blend into his hair, he's taller and a shade darker," Malik pointed out.

Ryou rolled his eyes, "He's also living, Mal. I can't believe that you wanted to scare him off for trying to fix the porch."

"How was I supposed to know that he wasn't a vandal!?" Malik vanished into the house and into his room.

Ryou sighed, "I guess we'll just have to wait and see how he fares."

* * *

Yugi watched from the edge of the tree line as this boy worked on the outside of his home as if he cared for it. He thought back to the rattler that he had killed. Yugi remembered the day that one had nearly struck their baby brother, the one they referred to as 'Baby Solomon'.

The triplets were fifteen and their baby brother was a year-and-a-half. He had been crawling around and had gotten too close to the venomous snake. Ryou heard the rattle and cried out as he pulled the baby boy out of harm's way. Yugi threw a y-branched stick to Malik who pinned the snake to the ground. Their father had heard the commotion and rushed out to see the angry snake rattling its tail furiously. Malik held the branch in place long enough for their father to sever the snake's head from it's body.

The sound of an approaching vehicle pulled Yugi from his thoughts. It was a faded grey truck that pulled into the drive. An elderly man got out and cautiously made his way to the farmhouse. Yugi left before he could see what would happen when the man discovered the sleeping teen.

* * *

Yami was gently shaken awake. He stretched and opened his crimson eyes to discover his grandfather standing over him. He braced himself for a stern lecture.

"Yami, I'm amazed at what you've done to this place," the man was awed. "I want to know, honestly, what you think of this old house."

Yami smiled, "I got bored and figured that I had to do something. Besides, they left me behind without my cell phone. But it's nice here, Grandpa."

The elderly man gently placed something into Yami's hand, "I want you to have this. You are the only one that hasn't been scared off and apparently cares about this property."

Yami looked at the item in his hand and was shocked. "But, Grandpa, I thought that you had other plans for the land."

"Just because it was never sold, or altered, doesn't mean that I had plans for it," the man stated. "I wanted to eventually pass it on to you three, but your brothers aren't responsible enough to take care of a single houseplant without killing it. You are meant to have it."

Yami was stunned, "Um, Grandpa, what do you mean by scared off?"

"This house is haunted by the ghosts of three boys who died here so long ago. They tend to scare off those they feel are a threat to their home."

"Were they the boys whose names are on that statue out in the clearing?"

The man was curious, "Show me."

Yami lead his grandfather to the clearing and watched as he stepped closer. "Oh, my poor brothers," he whispered softly as he touched the smaller of the three. He turned to Yami, "Yami, those three boys were your great-uncles. Mother wouldn't tell me what happened to them before she passed. From what I could gather, they weren't a bad set of boys. Please, whatever you do, don't anger the dead. Give them the respect they deserve."

"I swear it," Yami stated.

A faint rustling of leaves caught their attention. As the two watched the fox that had saved Yami earlier crept out as if it didn't notice them. The second it saw them it froze and stared. "That's the fox that killed a snake before it bit me," Yami whispered to his grandfather.

Solomon gave a small bow to the fox, "Thank you for saving my boy from a snakebite."

The fox gave a small yip before vanishing into its burrow. Solomon turned back to Yami, "How about tomorrow we hire an inspector to look the place over before you start making it your own?"

"Really," Yami was excited at the idea of an oasis from his brothers.

Solomon nodded, "Really. This place it yours now, Yami. You've earned it."

* * *

Yugi remained outside the house secretly playing with the fireflies while his brothers worried about him. He had wondered what it would be like to have been able to grow up, but the thought passed his mind as he jumped into another firefly that got too close to the one he currently controlled. He loved the night, but missed feeling the cool breezes that came with them.

As he played, Yugi had forgotten that the anniversary of their deaths was fast approaching. Had he known, he would have possessed a deer and ran toward the boundary as fast as he could just to try to escape the pain he'd experience yet again. Yugi hated the feeling of his lungs filling with blood and the pain of numerous broken bones. The shot to his chest was painful as well, but not as bad as the injuries sustained in the fall down the stairs.

* * *

Malik sighed, "It's coming soon, Ryou. I feel it."

"I know," Ryou replied. "It can't be escaped. I just hope that we have no witnesses like we did that one time. The poor kid was frightened near to death seeing Yugi's 'death' repeat itself."

"I just hope that Yugi will be alright," Malik stated.

The two knew that to reenact their deaths yearly tore Yugi apart. The poor boy would vanish for days before returning looking lost and confused. Ryou had a feeling that Yugi was trying to escape the land via some poor animal host, but refused to tell Malik about it.

* * *

 **Malik: I can't believe that Yugi ran away from us!**

 **Ryou: You upset him, Mal! That's why he took off.**

 ***Sigh* Just settle down you two. Think about next week's update.**

 **Malik: Oh, yeah...**

 **Ryou: Next week's update will be 'Hunted'!**

 **Yami: Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter 3 of 'Haunted'. I am so sorry for leaving everyone hanging.**

 **Yugi: Life in general got to her and she couldn't update.**

 **Yup, but I'm back and eager to start once more.**

 **Bakura: Until some other crisis or distraction hits her like a ton of bricks.**

 **That won't hap…OOOOOH…fireworks. Pretty colors…**

 **Bakura: I rest my case.**

* * *

Yami followed the man as he inspected the farmhouse. "Aside from a few loose boards and some slight water damage, I'd say that you are safe to begin whatever you wish to do to fix this place up," he stated as he signed the paperwork. "Give me a call for a final inspection after the repairs are made and before you move in here. Also, let me know if you are able to get that one room open. It might be a health or safety issue otherwise."

Yami nodded, "I will, promise."

The man handed him the papers and left. Yami decided to explore the house a bit until his grandfather came back to pick him up. He headed to the front staircase and looked around. There were stains on the floor and steps. He stepped into the room to look around before heading up. Below the landing was another stain of some sort. Yami figured that the stains were likely the water damage the inspector mentioned.

* * *

Malik grew bored as he watched Yugi's living copy explore their home and prison. He wanted so badly to mess with the male, but a faint ball of amethyst light drifted into the parlor room. That light caught the male's attention as it made its way up the stairs and into the third door. He walked into the bedroom and sighed when he saw Yugi curled into a ball on his bed. Malik sighed, "I'm sorry, Yugi."

"You always say that, Malik. Then, when you get mad at me, you'll say it again. I'll run off, Ryou lectures you, you apologize, and it starts all over again," Yugi sobbed. "Why can't we just stop the endless circle? Why?"

"Because we don't know how. Remember, our bodies were never found. Maybe that's what's keeping us here," Malik reasoned. He pulled Yugi into a gentle hug. "We'll get through this somehow. Hey, at least we're still together."

Yugi looked up to see Malik's watery smile. He gave a weak one of his own, "Like Peter Pan and the Lost Boys?"

"Yeah, and I'm Peter. You and Ry are the Lost Boys," Malik smirked playfully.

Yugi laughed his mood lifting.

* * *

Yami had been in the middle of cleaning the parlor when he thought he heard laughter coming from upstairs. He shrugged it off, thinking that it was some bird nearby. He turned back to the couch that was too far damaged to save and began smashing it with a sledgehammer that he had borrowed from his grandfather.

After he had hauled the last bit of ruined furniture out to the trash pile, Yami decided to check out the bedrooms. One of the four rooms was locked and he didn't have the key to it. Yami decided to check it out later and headed to the one that was left open. A nursery was set up and, by the looks of things, had been ransacked. Clothes and toys were missing, a moth-eaten baby blanket lay dangling from the crib by a few threads, and a fine layer of dust coated everything. Yami noticed a single picture frame on the ground. He picked it up and gently dusted it off.

He nearly dropped it when he saw the image. Three small boys and a newborn looked out from the photo, the boys had smiles on their angelic faces as they posed for the photographer. But that wasn't what unnerved the teen. It was the appearance of the three boys that was unsettling. They looked like he and his brothers. Hoping that the back would give him some clues as to the boys' identities, Yami gently pried open the backing. Written in delicate script were the names Yugi, Ryou, and Malik age 14, Baby Boy aged 2 days. The word 'boy' had been lightly scratched out and Solomon was written just below it.

Now he had an idea of the three mystery boys' appearance. His curiosity was starting to irritate him. Now Yami wanted to know which boy had what name.

* * *

Malik was relieved that the Living boy couldn't get into their room. He wanted to keep their stuff safe from the living and preserved for his younger brothers. It was all they had left of their family and he wasn't about to let some living person touch their treasures.

Yugi let out a cry when the teen picked up the only object neither of them could touch. It was the last picture their mother and father had done to commemorate the birth of baby Solomon. Just as they left with the child after the deaths of the boys, their mother had left her favorite picture of them behind as it was a bitter reminder of her tragic loss.

The teen jerked in shock when he heard the sob and dropped the picture, causing the thin glass to shatter. He looked in the direction of the darkened closet and swore he caught the sight of teary amethyst eyes. He blinked to clear his vision and looked at the closet once more only to see nothing there.

"Hello? Look, I know that I'm probably talking to nothing, but if someone is there," the male started, "I'm not here to hurt you or force you to leave. I just want to make this place a home again. I swear to you that it will remain in my family and you won't have to worry about this house being torn down or sold for a very long time. My name is Yami Atem Mutou. I now own this house, but you are welcome to stay as long as you prove to be peaceful and not cause any harm to those invited into this place."

Malik shook his head at the proposition made by the teen. "Maybe he's telling the truth," Ryou whispered to his brother.

Malik sighed, "I can't take that chance, Ry."

"But he owns our home now," Yugi argued. "He has the Power to force us to leave."

"Nobody has that right, Yugi! Unless our bodies are found, we cannot find peace EVER," Malik countered. He was seething, "The best he can do is knock us out of contact for a little bit."

Yugi shook his head, "I just hope he isn't here when the Time comes again. I don't want him to see _that_."

* * *

Yami checked his watch and decided to call his grandfather for a ride home. He had decided to leave the picture in the room he had found it in but made a note to bring back a frame to replace the one he had broken. Yami felt that the eyes he thought he had seen may have belonged to one of the boys from the photo and figured that he would appease the spirit by replacing what he had damaged by accident. "I'm leaving for the night, but there's a pencil and paper on the bottom step. If there's anything you want fixed just write it down. The same goes for what you don't want me to touch. I'm sorry for breaking that frame in the baby room. I'll bring a new one back tomorrow," Yami called from the front door. "I left a list of what I plan to do when I return, but feel free to let me know otherwise."

After his little announcement, Yami stepped outside and locked the house for the night. The three brothers rushed to look at the list. Yugi couldn't help but laugh as he caught sight of Number 10: Try to make contact with possible spirits until they accept me.

Malik grabbed the pencil and wrote on their sheet of paper his demand to leave them be and to leave the locked room alone. Yugi waited until Malik stormed to their room and wrote, _'Please respect that the locked room is OURS and leave it be. To enter uninvited will result in severe consequences.'_

Ryou nodded his consent before they headed to their room as well.

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed this update.**

 **Yugi: Unit next time!**


	4. Notice!

This and other stories I have in progress will be ON HOLD until further notice. This is because one of my stories was posted on a different website without permission. While I am withholding updates until the theft is dealt with and other victims from this wonderful site are notified, I will continue writing/editing new chapters. I may even take this time to rewrite some stories that I feel need it.

Forgive my brash decision on this matter, but I cannot allow this travesty to continue.

PhantomBrat


	5. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the delay in updating 'Haunted'. It seems to want to take its time in leading me in a certain direction.**

 **Yugi: PhantomBrat also has misplaced many prewritten stories, including the starts of one that she wishes to gift to a writer who can do Puzzleshipping and has a history of completing stories quickly.**

 **The downside to actually cleaning/organizing my room…I can't find anything I want.**

 **Yugi: So please enjoy chapter 4 of 'Haunted'.**

* * *

Bakura and Marik pestered Yami until he caved and allowed them to accompany him to the house. He was curious to see whether or not he had a reply to his list of planned tasks. To see that a couple of new lines were added was a complete shock to him. One of them was what Yami took as a 'polite' threat while the second line was a message to open a few windows to let a breeze through when he started to repaint the inside of the house. Bakura was curious about the locked room now that he had read the 'threat'. He slipped upstairs to take a look.

* * *

Malik was floating around the second floor through the rooms when he spotted the teen who looked like a meaner Ryou trying to open their room. He growled in the boy's ear but was ignored. Deciding to take things a step further, Malik thought back to the last sound he heard himself make when he had been stabbed and let out a similar cry. The teen dropped his pick and looked in Malik's direction. That was when Malik appeared before him in his 'Death Form', laying in the same place and position where he had been killed.

The trapped spirit smirked as he reverted to his regular state when the teen cried out in shock and rushed down the steps to the door.

* * *

Bakura had seen a form that looked like his brother 'dead' in the room at the top of the stairs. He couldn't stand the sight of what could have actually been Marik all beaten, cut open, and shot in the head. As he ran outside, Bakura heard Yami ask what was wrong.

Yami followed him out and waited until Bakura calmed a little. "What happened," he asked.

Bakura shook his head, "I am NOT going back up there until you take care of Marik and his stupid pranks."

"Bakura," Yami started, "he's been with me the whole time painting the living room."

"THEN WHAT WAS THAT!? I saw something upstairs that looked a lot like Marik!"

Yami sighed, "Where were you and what were you doing upstairs?"

"I just wanted to see what was in that locked room!"

"There you go," Yami replied. "You weren't supposed to even try and open that room."

* * *

"So I scared the living daylights out of him," Malik stated proudly after recounting the failed attempt of the teen who tried to enter their room uninvited.

Yugi sighed as he drifted to his dusty bed and 'sat' on the comforter their mother had made for him. He longed for the days of their short lives when they could feel everything around them. He missed being able to chase the fireflies and catch them in his hands, to feel the icy cold of snow as it was gathered into a ball by bare hands, to complain about the heat of summer and then enjoy the bliss of playing in the river until they were called in for meals.

He dreaded the events that would once again repeat themselves later that week. The little spirit hoped that the teen and his companions would leave before that happened. Unfortunately, Yugi also wished that if they did stay, that one of them would keep their wits about them. He had a feeling that if someone weren't frightened off that maybe they would discover what happened to their remains. They had a feeling that their bodies had been buried somewhere in the collapsed barn as they couldn't go near it without their forms threatening to give out on them. If that happened, as Yugi had found out the hard way, they were sent back to wherever it was they were killed and out of contact with the others for a short time.

* * *

Bakura refused to set foot into the old farmhouse and waited outside until Yami and Marik finished painting the living room. He looked up at the second-story window and froze. A small figure nearly resembling Yami appeared in the window. The child gave a small smile and waved to him before it was pulled from sight and replaced with a younger looking him. The youth shook their head before vanishing and the tattered curtains were pulled shut.

When Yami and Marik stepped out and the door was locked, Bakura confronted Yami. "There were two boys up there! I saw them looking out from that window on the second story!" He pointed to said window.

Yami sighed, "Grandpa did say that three kids died out here around the same time. I'll show you something the next time we're out here. Maybe it'll help us learn who they were?"

"Whatever," Bakura grumbled, "I just want to get out of here!"

* * *

"I told you to stay away from the window," Malik hissed at Yugi while Ryou closed the curtains.

Yugi sighed, "I was just curious about that weird thing that was in the front yard. I can't help it that that boy who looks like Ryou saw me."

"The damage was done when you up and frightened the boy, Malik. Granted, this is our room and he needs to learn to respect boundaries. Nevertheless, what you did was far worse than Yugi looking outside."

Malik sighed and left the room before he blew up at his brothers.

* * *

 **I apologize for the short chapter, but I wanted to have Bakura scared senseless and Malik needed his bit of fun.**

 **Malik: Did I ever! Thanks PhantomBrat.**

 **No problem!**

 **Bakura: I will make you suffer for that you two!**

 **Yeah, yeah. Just don't mess with my stuff. I barely remember where everything is at the moment.**

 **Yugi: Check out 'Hunted' next. *Gives Pitiful Puppy Phace (Face)* Please?**

 **Ryou: Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 5

**So here's the deal…I'm super busy working on several projects and am so easily distracted. If it takes a month or more to update a story then it means one of several things.**

 **Yugi: It means that she is either working on an entry for the upcoming fair in the spring, an art show, personal projects, research for a story she's working on, another chapter for a different story, or was just plain distracted. Please understand that there are members of her family with health issues that take priority as well.**

 **Thank you, Yugi. I greatly appreciate the patience that you all have with me and am pleased to post this chapter, fresh from writing.**

 **Yugi: So please enjoy chapter 5 of 'Haunted'.**

* * *

Yugi watched as the three boys once more entered their home. He was able to place names with faces now that they'd been there and used each other's names. His copy was Yami. The other two were Marik and Bakura. They looked a little like Malik and Ryou, respectively. He'd slipped down to the bottom stair while his brothers were out and discovered that Yami had left another notepad. He wrote on the paper before rushing back up the stairs.

 _Malik was not pleased with the attempt to enter our room. I am sorry that he caused anyone distress with the actions he took to discourage future attempts._

— _Yugi_

* * *

Malik was furious that his own brothers sided with the living and disapproved of his actions to protect their room. Their home had been left to them since their own family had abandoned the property. He found Yugi's message and grabbed the pen to write his own.

 _Stay out of our room and nothing further will happen…at least what we can avoid. I MEAN IT!_

— _Malik_

Ryou sighed as he watched Malik drift up the stairs and went to write his own note to the living teens.

 _Malik means what he said. We will restrict what activity we can, but some things are outside of our control. However, we WILL protect our room as we see fit._

— _Ryou_

* * *

Bakura had finally given in and went back to the house despite the fact that he'd seen a horrible sight that he couldn't get out of his head. Yami was the first to enter the place for the day. Stepping back outside, Yami held out the notepad he had left three days before. "What's got you excited," Bakura groused.

Yami held the pad out to let his brothers read the notes. "This proves they're here."

"Who's here," Marik asked.

"The three boys from the statue in the woods by the back field and from Grandpa's story," Yami stated excitedly.

Bakura didn't look pleased, "You mean that we're haunted by three dead kids from a fairytale?! Get your head out of the clouds, Yami."

"Grandpa gave me this house, not you, not Marik…Me. This house is mine by law," Yami snapped.

A faint shimmering mass caught Marik's attention. Marik couldn't help but notice that it was by the end of the porch. He watched as it took the shape of a smaller version of Yami. The figure looked sad as Yami and Bakura continued to argue. Marik decided to stop his brothers' fight. Taking the bucket of fresh water meant to clean the windows, he threw the water on the pair. "Stop fighting, you're making the little boy sad."

The pair looked where Marik was pointing and saw a faint outline of a small figure. Before they could make out the details, it vanished.

"I wonder who that was," Marik mused as he stared at the now empty spot.

* * *

Yugi felt bad that the boys were fighting over something so trivial and that their home was brought into the fight. He had no choice but to make an appearance and hope that they stopped fighting long enough to forget what the disagreement was about. He followed them as they headed to where he and his brothers used to play when they weren't doing chores or watching their baby brother.

Yugi didn't know why, but he felt cold whenever he neared the statue that looked like him and his brothers. It was like someone had dumped a bucket of river water on him in the winter. He hated that feeling as it reminded him of the time he'd fallen into the water just days before it froze over. He and Ryou were laid up in bed due to the chills and resulting fevers.

* * *

"They look like us," Marik stated in shock. "Any idea who they are?"

"Just that their names are 'Yugi,' 'Ryou', and 'Malik'," Yami admitted. "The only pictures I found on them were of all three together. For some reason, there aren't any of them alone."

* * *

Yugi shook his head at Yami's statement. His mother insisted that they never be in a single photo as they were her special boys and pictures were cheaper that way. The triplets never had a problem with it as they hated to be apart for more than a few minutes when they were alive.

* * *

Bakura snatched the keys and headed to the car. "Where are you going," Yami asked.

"I'm going to try to figure out your little mystery," Bakura stated. "I figure that I can look into records and try to put names to faces just so that you can tell which ghost is which."

Yami sighed, "Good luck."

Bakura left the property and headed to the library or courthouse to do some digging into the property's past.

* * *

Yugi drifted back into the house through the back door. He looked mournfully at his brothers, "One of them said he was going to find out about our names and the history of our home."

"What if they decided to stay here on the anniversary," Ryou wailed in misery. He hated when people stayed to watch their deaths repeat on the same night they died years ago.

"Hopefully it doesn't storm or they will see everything," Malik pointed out. He hated having to 'relive' the horrible way he died and prayed that there wouldn't be any storms each year.

* * *

Bakura couldn't believe that he had to sign up for a library card just to enter the archives with a librarian. "I just need the records from the fifties," he said, trying to keep his temper.

The librarian smiled as she skimmed the dates, "Any particular year?"

"July of fifty-five," he answered.

She found the reel and slid it into place on the viewer. "Holler if you need anything. I can see if I can find a hard copy for you. Just ask for Miss Gardner if I'm not around."

"Actually," Bakura decided to take a chance, "I'm looking for information on the Hikari Farm. My brother inherited it from our gramps a bit early and wanted to know about the place."

* * *

 **Ryou: So our past is being investigated and Yugi was spotted.**

 **Yup. I needed to get the ball rolling as I am also working on an AU to 'Hunted'.**

 **Malik: What are the details, PhantomBrat?**

 **Not telling!**

 **Malik: Aw…come on! I won't spill the beans!**

 **Nope. Anyways, this brings my mass updates to a close for a while. Who knows, I might just do this again just before the end of the year.  
**

 **Mokuba: Until next time!**


End file.
